Sunday, August 23, 2009

Football Season!

I'll admit it. I like football. There's something terribly cozy about curling up on the couch under a mound of blankets and watching the game unfold on a chilly, fall day.

Last night (I missed the one last week) I watched my first Bears pre-season game. It was the perfect night for it. The slight chill in the air really did make it seem like fall. So I pulled on my Urlacher jersey and curled up on the couch. And I have to tell you, Da Bears are looking good. I think it might be their year...(if you're from Chicago you'll get that joke!)

As I watched Jay Cutler (our new QB) do his thing on the field, it occurred to me that football (well, a football team) is a lot like writing.

First you have the main offense (the quarterback and the receivers) or in the case of a book, your characters and the plot (including the all important goal, motivation, and conflict). Let's face it...without these elements there is no team, there is no story.

Next you have the backfield (the running backs) and the offensive line or in the case of a book, your setting, secondary characters, and backstory. These work with the offense and/or characters to get the job done or the story told.

Then you have the defense. On a football team these guys make sure nothing gets in the way of winning the game. In a book, I like to think of editing, revising, rewriting, etc. as the defense. These things make sure that nothing gets in the way of the story being told.

The offense, backfield, and defense work together to make a winning team. The characters, plot, setting, and backstory work together to make a compelling story. The end product of both: satisfaction. A job well done. If a team plays well, they tend to accrue a lot of fans. Fans that will stick with them while they wait for the next playoff berth, however long that may take...(really, here in Chicago, we've learned to be very patient). If a book is written well and tells a memorable story, an author tends to garner fans as well. Hopefully fans that will stick with him or her until the next book comes out, maybe the one that will finally hit the besteller list...(again, patience is a virtue!).

So hopefully the near future will hold a Superbowl trophy for the Bears and a bestseller for me. All it takes is a little team-work.

Debra:our library is offering a workshop on football: Can't beat 'em, join 'em! It's a crash course to learn the intricacies of football - in a language women can understand. I'm really looking forward to it even though I've been watching da Bears for thirty + years!Great post.DL Larson